Miniaturized DNA aptamer-based monolithic sorbent for selective extraction of a target analyte coupled on-line to nanoLC

Organic-silica hybrid monolithic sorbents for sample preparation techniques: A review on advances in synthesis, characterization, and applications

Organic-silica hybrid monolithic materials have attracted considerable attention as potential stationary phases in separation science. These materials combine the advantages of organic polymer and silica-based monoliths, including easy preparation, lower back pressure, high permeability, excellent mechanical strength, thermal stability, and tunable surface chemistry with high surface area and selectivity. The outstanding chromatographic efficiency as stationary phase of hybrid monolithic capillary columns for capillary liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography has been reported in many papers. Organic-silica hybrid monolithic materials have also been extensively used in the field of sample preparation. Owing to their surface functionalities, these porous sorbents offer unique selectivity for pre-concentration of different analytes in the most complex matrixes by fast dynamic transport. These sorbents not only improve the analytical method sensitivity, but also introduce novelties in terms of extraction devices and instrument coupling strategies. The current review covers the period spanning from 2017 to 2023 and describes the properties of organic-inorganic hybrid monolithic materials, the present status of this technology and summarizes recent developments in their use as innovative sorbents for microextraction sample preparation techniques (solid phase microextraction with pipette tip, offline in-tube SPME, in-tube SPME online with LC, and in-tube SPME directly coupled with mass spectrometry). Aspects such as the synthesis methods (sol-gel process, one-pot approach, and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes-based procedure), characterization techniques, and strategies to improve extraction efficiency in various applications in different areas (environmental, food, bioanalysis, and proteomics) are also discussed.

Aptamer-functionalized stir bar sorptive extraction for selective isolation, identification, and determination of concanavalin A in food by MALDI-TOF-MS

An aptamer-functionalized stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) coating is described for the first time devoted to selective isolation and preconcentration of an allergenic food protein, concavanalin A (Con A), followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) determination. For this purpose, the polytetrafluoroethylene surface of commercial magnetic stir bars was properly modified and vinylized to immobilize a thiol-modified aptamer against Con A via straightforward "thiol-ene" click chemistry. The aptamer-functionalized stir bar was employed as SBSE sorbent to isolate Con A, and several parameters that can affect the extraction efficiency were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, Con A was extracted and desorbed during 30 and 45 min, respectively, at 25 °C and 600 rpm. The SBSE MALDI-TOF-MS method provided limits of detection of 0.5 μg mL^-1 for Con A. Furthermore, the SBSE coating was highly selective to Con A compared to other lectins. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of low levels of Con A in several food matrices (i.e., white beans as well as chickpea, lentils, and wheat flours). Recoveries ranged from 81 to 97% with relative standard deviations below 7%. The aptamer-based stir bars presented suitable physical and chemical long-term stability (1 month) and a reusability of 10 and 5 extraction cycles with standards and food extracts, respectively. The developed aptamer-affinity extraction devices open up the possibility of developing novel highly selective SBSE coatings for the extraction of proteins and peptides from complex samples.

Facile DNA adsorption enabling ammonium-based hydrophilic affinity monolithic column for high-performance online selective microextraction of ochratoxin A

Herein, a facile protocol of simple DNA adsorption on UV-initiated polymerization supports was proposed for effectively fabricating aptamer-based affinity monolithic column. Hydrophilic cationic monolith with an excellent mechanical stability was achieved within 7 min and then massive aptamers were directly bound by DNA charge-dependent adsorption. Strong cationic quaternary ammonium-based monomer was employed to provide effective and stable positive charge surface for aptamer immobilization in a wide range of pH. An ultra-high aptamer coverage density of 6813 pmol/μL was achieved to gain a highly specific online recognition performance. Limitations such as low aptamer capacity, tedious modification and time-consuming reactions in the traditional biological or covalent modification strategies were avoided. By using ochratoxin A (OTA) as the given analyte, the selective recognition and high recoveries were successfully achieved, and little cross-reactivity towards OTB analogue was only 0.5% even if the content of OTB got up to 125 folds of OTA. Applied to sample analysis, the satisfactory discriminations of trace OTA were obtained at 93.9 ± 1.9% - 96.5 ± 1.7%（n = 3）in beer, wheat and chicken liver samples. It might light a cost-effective access to efficiently preparing high-performance affinity monoliths towards the selective in-tube microextraction of OTA.

In situ photo-initiated polymerized oligonucleotide-functionalized hydrophilic capillary affinity monolith for highly selective in-tube microextraction of ochratoxin A mycotoxin

A photo-initiated polymerized oligonucleotide-grafted hydrophilic affinity monolithic column was synthesized in situ, and exploited for selective in-tube solid phase micro-extraction (IT-SPME) protocol towards the sensitive detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). Only 7 min was required for the rapid polymerization of aptamer-based affinity monolith, which was much less than the reaction time of most thermal polymerization (12-16 h) and sol-gel chemistry methods (up to 52 h). Characterizations such as polymerization recipes, structure morphology, FTIR spectrum, elemental mapping, mechanical stability, and specific recognition performance were evaluated. A significantly hydrophilic nature with a low contact angle of 15° was observed, and a mixed-mode mechanism including aptamer affinity recognition and hydrophilic interaction (HI) was employed. By coupling with HPLC-fluorescence detection, the highly specific online recognition performance was achieved with an extremely low nonspecific adsorption of the analogues. The calibration curve of OTA was obtained in the concentration range 0.05-50.00 ng·mL^-1 with a limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) of 0.012 ng·mL^-1. Applied to sample analysis, acceptable recovery yields of 95.1 ± 1.4% - 99.5 ± 2.2% (n = 3) were obtained in beer and red wine. The proposed method lighted a promising way to efficiently preparing a hydrophilic aptamer-affinity monolith for highly specific recognition of trace mycotoxin by IT-SPME coupled with HPLC. A hydrophilic oligonucleotide-based affinity capillary monolith was explored via in situ photopolymerization for overcoming low preparation efficiency and achieving high-performance online IT-SPME of OTA mycotoxin.

A facile aptamer immobilization strategy to fabricate a robust affinity monolith for highly specific in-tube solid-phase microextraction

Developing a functional affinity monolithic column towards in-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME) for selective sample pretreatment is critical. Herein, a high-performance capillary affinity monolithic column with an ultra-high aptamer coverage density was rapidly fabricated via a simple adsorption strategy, in which aptamers with natural sequences were directly immobilized on an ammonium-based strongly cationic matrix. Limitations of the traditional biological or covalent methods such as time-consuming modification reactions, special requirement of active groups (e.g. -NH₂ and -SH) on the aptamer, and low aptamer coverage density levels were avoided. An ultra-high coverage density of 8616 pmol μL^-1 was achieved with excellent stability, and the highest aptamer-modification level among all the current methods was reached. Selective recognition and high recovery yields of the model mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) were achieved in 95.9 ± 0.98%-97.9 ± 0.28% (n = 3). In particular, there was little cross-reactivity towards the OTB analogue of only 0.5% even in the case of 250 fold of the analogue OTB, which was not reported in previous affinity monoliths. Upon sample analysis, satisfactory discriminations of trace OTA were obtained at 93.7 ± 1.4%-95.5 ± 2.5% (n = 3) in beer and wheat. A facile and direct method for efficiently fabricating an aptamer-based affinity monolith towards online selective IT-SPME was proposed.

Recent Advances of Triazine-Based Materials for Adsorbent Based Extraction Techniques

This review mainly focused on the synthesis and properties of triazine-based materials as well as the state-of-the-art development of these materials in adsorption-based extraction techniques in the past 5 years, such as solid-phase extraction, magnetic solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction and stir bar sorptive extraction, and the detection of various pollutants, including metal ions, drugs, estrogens, nitroaromatics, pesticides, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and parabens. In the triazine-functionalized composites, triazine-based polymers and covalent triazine frameworks have been developed as the adsorbents with potential for environmental pollutants, mainly relying on the large surface area and the affinity of triazinyl groups with the targets. Triazine-based adsorbents have satisfactory sensitivity and selectivity towards different types of analytes, attributed from various mechanisms including π-π, electrostatics, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic and hydrophilic effects. The prospects of the materials for adsorption-based extraction were also presented, which can offer an outlook for the further development and applications.

Towards highly specific aptamer-affinity monolithic column by efficient UV light-initiated polymerization in "one-pot"

Time-consuming or tedious operation in multiple-step process might is the obstacle for efficiently preparing aptamer-affinity monolithic column. Here, a new and facile strategy to prepare aptamer-based hybrid affinity monolith in "one-pot" at room temperature was exploited, in which UV light-initiated free-radical polymerization and "thiol-ene" click reaction were implemented simultaneously. Only 7 min was cost for finishing the polymerization reaction, which was only 1/100 of that for the traditional thermal polymerization. Using ochratoxin A (OTA) as the model analyte, the recipe for photo-initiated polymerization was optimized, and SEM morphology, FTIR, EDS, pore size distribution and specific recognition performance were also studied. Compared with traditional thermal polymerization, the resultant monolith was achieved more facilely and displayed better results such as more homogeneous skeleton structure, higher reaction efficiency of aptamer (>88.2%) and better specific selectivity to OTA. Besides, an extremely low nonspecific adsorption of analogues was obtained and showed a level at only 1/25 of that in the similar aptamer-affinity monolith prepared by thermal polymerization. Applied to beer and red wine samples, good recovery yields about 99.7 ± 4.0% -101.2 ± 2.3% (n = 3)was achieved with the acceptable RSDs. It would open up a rapid and promising access to efficiently preparing high-performance aptamer-based affinity monolithic columns for online specific recognition.

In-tube solid phase microextraction and determination of ractopamine in pork muscle samples using amide group modified polysaccharide-silica hybrid monolith as sorbent prior to HPLC analysis

A facile in-tube solid phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) procedure was developed to enrich ractopamine before HPLC-UV analysis. This was achieved by employing amide groups modified polysaccharide-silica hybrid monolith as an efficient sorbent. The monolith was synthesized by a simple reaction with agarose oxide and tetramethoxylisane, followed by the modification of amide groups via subsequent ring opening, "thiol-ene" click and dehydration reactions. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the enrichment factors for ractopamine, dopamine, clenbuterol, para-methylphenol and phenol were determined to be 50.5, 32.2, 4.8, 2.1 and 1.8, respectively. The monolithic column has ideal selectivity for ractopamine. Coupled with HPLC-UV, this method demonstrated a linearity within 2.0-800 ng/g for ractopamine with spiking in pork muscles (R² = 0.9958). The LOD was 0.64 ng/g (S/N = 3) and recoveries ranged from 85.2 to 108.1% (n = 3). This approach provides a feasible way for analysis of trace ractopamine in biological samples.

Online specific recognition of mycotoxins using aptamer-grafted ionic affinity monolith with mixed-mode mechanism

Herein, a facile and practical aptamer-grafted ionic affinity monolith with mixed-mode mechanism was explored as a versatile platform for online specific recognition of polar and non-polar mycotoxins. The mixed-mode mechanism including molecular affinity adsorption (between aptamers and targets), hydrophilic interaction and ionic interaction (between stationary phase and targets) were adopted and provided a better flexibility in adjusting separation selectivity to reduce nonspecific adsorption with respect to the single mode. Preparation and characterization of aptamer-based affinity monoliths were investigated, The characterization of pore size distribution, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and the specificity and cross-reaction were also evaluated. As a result, the hydrophilic nature and negative charge on affinity monolith were obtained. Multiple interactions including aptamer affinity binding, hydrophilic interaction (HI) and ion exchange (IE) could be adopted for online selective extraction. Specific recognitions of polar ochratoxin A (OTA), non-polar zearalenone (ZEN) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was fulfilled with LODs as 0.03, 0.05 and 0.05 μg/L, respectively. Applied to real cereals, good recoveries of the fortified OTA, AFB1 and ZEN were achieved as 92.6 ± 1.3% ~ 95.6 ± 1.3% (n=3), 93.9 ± 2.3% ~ 98.2 ± 3.4% (n=3) and 92.7 ± 2.0% ~ 96.9 ± 3.5% (n=3) in corn, wheat and rice, respectively. The results displayed that Apt-MCs with hydrophilic and ionic interaction mixed-mode mechanism were efficient enough and competent for the online recognition of mycotoxins in cereals.

Immunoaffinity Extraction and Alternative Approaches for the Analysis of Toxins in Environmental, Food or Biological Matrices

The evolution of instrumentation in terms of separation and detection allowed a real improvement of the sensitivity and analysis time. However, the analysis of ultra-traces of toxins in complex samples requires often a step of purification and even preconcentration before their chromatographic analysis. Therefore, immunoaffinity sorbents based on specific antibodies thus providing a molecular recognition mechanism appear as powerful tools for the selective extraction of a target molecule and its structural analogs to obtain more reliable and sensitive quantitative analysis in environmental, food or biological matrices. This review focuses on immunosorbents that have proven their efficiency in selectively extracting various types of toxins of various sizes (from small mycotoxins to large proteins) and physicochemical properties. Immunosorbents are now commercially available, and their use has been validated for numerous applications. The wide variety of samples to be analyzed, as well as extraction conditions and their impact on extraction yields, is discussed. In addition, their potential for purification and thus suppression of matrix effects, responsible for quantification problems especially in mass spectrometry, is presented. Due to their similar properties, molecularly imprinted polymers and aptamer-based sorbents that appear to be an interesting alternative to antibodies are also briefly addressed by comparing their potential with that of immunosorbents.

Innovations in Extractive Phases for In-Tube Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Miniaturized Liquid Chromatography: A Critical Review

Over the past years, a great effort has been devoted to the development of new sorbents that can be used to pack or to coat extractive capillaries for in-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME). Many of those efforts have been focused on the preparation of capillaries for miniaturized liquid chromatography (LC) due to the reduced availability of capillary columns with appropriate dimensions for this kind of system. Moreover, many of the extractive capillaries that have been used for IT-SPME so far are segments of open columns from the gas chromatography (GC) field, but the phase nature and dimensions are very limited. In particular, polar compounds barely interact with stationary GC phases. Capillary GC columns may also be unsuitable when highly selective extractions are needed. In this work, we provide an overview of the extractive capillaries that have been specifically developed for capillary LC (capLC) and nano LC (nanoLC) to enhance the overall performance of the IT-SPME, the chromatographic separation, and the detection. Different monolithic polymers, such as silica C₁₈ and C₈ polymers, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), polymers functionalized with antibodies, and polymers reinforced with different types of carbon nanotubes, metal, and metal oxide nanoparticles (including magnetic nanoparticles), and restricted access materials (RAMs) will be presented and critically discussed.

On-line Aptamer Affinity Solid-Phase Extraction Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Blood α-Synuclein

In this paper, an on-line aptamer affinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry method is described for the purification, preconcentration, separation, and characterization of α-synuclein (α-syn) in blood at the intact protein level. A single-stranded DNA aptamer is used to bind with high affinity and selectivity α-syn, which is a major component of Lewy bodies, the typical aggregated protein deposits found in Parkinson's disease (PD). Under the conditions optimized with recombinant α-syn, repeatability (2.1 and 5.4% percent relative standard deviation for migration times and peak areas, respectively) and microcartridge lifetime (around 20 analyses/microcartridge) were good, the method was linear between 0.5 and 10 μg·mL^-1, and limit of detection was 0.2 μg·mL^-1 (100 times lower than by CE-MS, 20 μg·mL^-1). The method was subsequently applied to the analysis of endogenous α-syn from red blood cells lysate of healthy controls and PD patients.

A double-recognized aptamer-molecularly imprinted monolithic column for high-specificity recognition of ochratoxin A

In this study, a double-recognized aptamer-molecularly imprinted monolithic column (Apt-MIP monolithic column) was prepared by introducing both aptamer and MIP to reduce non-specific adsorption. Its preparation parameters such as the time of photo-initiation, the dosage of photo-initiator and the concentration of aptamer were investigated in detail. The recovery ratios of ochratoxin A (OTA) to ochratoxin B (OTB) on Apt-MIP monolithic column, Apt monolithic column and MIP monolithic column were 116.1, 40.8 and 69, respectively. Even if the concentration of OTB was 10 times that of OTA, the recovery of OTB was only about 2.9%. Applied to beer samples, the prepared Apt-MIP monolithic column drastically resisted background adsorption and the high-specificity recognition for OTA was obtained with the recoveries of 95.5-105.9%. This work provided a simple and effective method to selectively identify OTA from complex samples.

Characterisation of aptamer-anchored poly(EDMA-co-GMA) monolith for high throughput affinity binding

Immobilisation of aptameric ligands on solid stationary supports for effective binding of target molecules requires understanding of the relationship between aptamer-polymer interactions and the conditions governing the mass transfer of the binding process. Herein, key process parameters affecting the molecular anchoring of a thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) onto polymethacrylate monolith pore surface, and the binding characteristics of the resulting macroporous aptasensor were investigated. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the TBA-thrombin binding indicated enhanced Guanine 4 (G4) structural stability of TBA upon interaction with thrombin in an ionic environment. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses were used to characterise the available functional groups and thermo-molecular stability of the immobilised polymer generated with Schiff-base activation and immobilisation scheme. The initial degradation temperature of the polymethacrylate stationary support increased with each step of the Schiff-base process: poly(Ethylene glycol Dimethacrylate-co-Glycidyl methacrylate) or poly(EDMA-co-GMA) [196.0 °C (±1.8)]; poly(EDMA-co-GMA)-Ethylenediamine [235.9 °C (±6.1)]; poly(EDMA-co-GMA)-Ethylenediamine-Glutaraldehyde [255.4 °C (±2.7)]; and aptamer-modified monolith [273.7 °C (±2.5)]. These initial temperature increments reflected in the associated endothermic energies were determined with differential scanning calorimetry. The aptameric ligand density obtained after immobilisation was 480 pmol/μL. Increase in pH and ionic concentration affected the surface charge distribution and the binding characteristics of the aptamer-modified disk-monoliths, resulting in the optimum binding pH and ionic concentration of 8.0 and 5 mM Mg²⁺, respectively. These results are critical in understanding and setting parametric constraints indispensable to develop and enhance the performance of aptasensors.

Preparation of aptamer-bound polyamine affinity monolithic column via a facile triazine-bridged strategy and application to on-column specific discrimination of ochratoxin A

Developing a high-performance modification protocol is critical for efficiently fabricating affinity monolith. Herein, by using 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine as the linker, a simple triazine-bridged approach was proposed for efficiently fabricating aptamer-grafted polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-polyethyleneimine affinity monolith with high specificity toward ochratoxin A. Experimental parameters, column characteristics and specificity performances of the resultant affinity monolith were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine was rapidly grafted on the polyamine matrix, and effectively applied to the subsequent bridge linkage of aptamers. It was simple and effective, which resulted in a significant decrease of modification time, excellent properties including the high coverage density of aptamer up to 1799 pmol/μL and sensitive detection of ochratoxin A as low as 10 pg/mL in beer samples. This protocol provides a facile approach for fabricating aptamer-grafted polyamine affinity monoliths with highly selective discrimination performance.

Preparation and evaluation of highly hydrophilic aptamer-based hybrid affinity monolith for on-column specific discrimination of ochratoxin A

Nonspecific adsorption is a challenge of specific recognition on aptamer-based affinity monoliths. Here, a novel highly hydrophilic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-containing aptamer-based hybrid-silica affinity monolith with a good recognition nature was prepared and used for specific discrimination of ochratoxin A (OTA). A homogeneous polymerization mixture consisted of POSS chemicals, hydrophilic monomers and aptamer solution was directly polymerized via the "one-pot" method. Preparation and characterization of the resultant affinity monolith were studied in detail. A highly hydrophilic nature was obtained and the typical hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was observed when acetonitrile (ACN) content in mobile phase was 25%, which reached the highest hydrophilicity of POSS-based hybrid monoliths. By using OTA as model analyte, the nonspecific adsorption was effectively suppressed. The recovery of the analogue ochratoxin B (OTB) was only about 0.1% even if the content of OTB was 50 times more than OTA, which was much better than other POSS-containing monoliths and polar siloxane-based hybrid monoliths. Applied to beer samples, the adsorption of background materials was drastically resisted, and efficient recognition of OTA was obtained with the recoveries of 94.9-99.8%. Much less disturbance was observed than that occurred in hydrophobic POSS-based affinity monolith. It lights an attractive implement with high hydrophilicity and specificity for online selective recognition of OTA.

Highly hydrophilic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-containing aptamer-modified affinity hybrid monolith for efficient on-column discrimination with low nonspecific adsorption

A highly hydrophilic aptamer-modified POSS-containing hybrid affinity monolith is presented for efficient on-column discrimination with low non-specific adsorption.

Novel approaches for biomolecule immobilization in microscale systems

This manuscript reviews novel approaches applied for biomolecule immobilization in microscale systems.

A facile AuNPs@aptamer-modified mercaptosiloxane-based hybrid affinity monolith with an unusually high coverage density of aptamer for on-column selective extraction of ochratoxin A

A convenient and high-performance AuNPs@aptamer-modified mercaptosiloxane-based hybrid affinity monolithic column with an unusually high coverage density of aptamers was facilely prepared and used for on-column selective recognition of ochratoxin A (OTA). Due to the high surface-to-volume ratio of AuNPs, the robust conjugation of Au-SH and large specific surface area of hybrid-silica monolith, high coverage density of 5'-SH-aptamers up to 3494 pmol μL-1 was achieved, which was 2.5-10 folds higher than that of other previously reported affinity monoliths modified with AuNPs@Apt. Using OTA as the model analyte, the highly selective recognition of OTA was carried out via online coupling with HPLC, and the cross-reactivity towards analogues, such as OTB and aflatoxin B1, was weak. High recovery yields of OTA were achieved at more than 92% (n = 3) even when OTB was added at a high concentration level up to 50 ng mL-1. For sample analysis, efficient discrimination of OTA was successfully obtained with a sensitive detection limit of 25 pg mL-1. The recoveries of OTA with different fortified levels were achieved at 88.6%-94.1% and 88.2%-94.3% for beer and wine samples, respectively. This protocol provides a facile approach for fabricating a desirable affinity monolith modified with abundant aptamers for highly selective and sensitive on-column extraction of target analyte OTA.

Aptamer-based polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-containing hybrid affinity monolith prepared via a "one-pot" process for selective extraction of ochratoxin A

A novel aptamer-based polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-containing hybrid affinity monolith has been prepared with a facile "one-pot" process simultaneously via "free radical polymerization" and "thiol-ene" click reaction, and used for on-line selective extraction and practical analysis to trace ochratoxin A (OTA). By using the ternary porogenic mixture composed of water/DMF/PEG, a homogeneous polymerization mixture with POSS chemicals, acrylate-based monomers and aptamer aqueous solution was obtained, and the copolymerization of POSS chemicals, polymer monomers and aptamer aqueous solution was systematically studied. Characterizations such as the morphology, FT-IR and fluorescence spectra, mechanical stability, dynamic binding capacity, cross-reactivity and selectivity of the resultant affinity monolith were also evaluated. Attributed to the porous monolithic structure and aptamer-based affinity interaction, acceptable selective recognition and recovery yields towards trace OTA were obtained. With a 5-fold volume enrichment, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of OTA in fortified beer samples were gained at 0.025 ng/mL (S/N = 3) and 0.045 ng/mL (S/N = 10), respectively. It could be competent for the sensitive measure of actual OTA residues in real beer samples. In comparison with the previously reported strategies containing common "sol-gel" chemistry, the proposed protocol to fabricating aptamer-modified POSS-containing hybrid affinity monolith showed a simpler preparation with acceptable selectivity and higher recovery to trace OTA.

An aptamer@AuNP-modified POSS–polyethylenimine hybrid affinity monolith with a high aptamer coverage density for sensitive and selective recognition of ochratoxin A

A new POSS-based aptamer affinity hybrid monolith, Apt@AuNPs@POSS–PEI, with a well-controlled 3D skeletal structure and a high aptamer coverage density of up to 1413 pmol μL⁻¹ has been facilely fabricated.

Aptamer-functionalized Fe3 O4 magnetic nanoparticles as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the selective extraction of berberine from Cortex phellodendri

The extraction adsorbent was fabricated by immobilizing the highly specific recognition and binding of aptamer onto the surface of Fe₃ O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, which not only acted as recognition elements to recognize and capture the target molecule berberine from the extract of Cortex phellodendri, but also could favor the rapid separation and purification of the bound berberine by using an external magnet. The developed solid-phase extraction method in this work was useful for the selective extraction and determination of berberine in Cortex phellodendri extracts. Various conditions such as the amount of aptamer-functionalized Fe₃ O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, extraction time, temperature, pH value, Mg²⁺ concentration, elution time and solvent were optimized for the solid-phase extraction of berberine. Under optimal conditions, the purity of berberine extracted from Cortex phellodendri was as high as 98.7% compared with that of 4.85% in the extract, indicating that aptamer-functionalized Fe₃ O₄ magnetic nanoparticles-based solid-phase extraction method was very effective for berberine enrichment and separation from a complex herb extract. The applicability and reliability of the developed solid-phase extraction method were demonstrated by separating berberine from nine different concentrations of one Cortex phellodendri extract. The relative recoveries of the spiked solutions of all the samples were between 95.4 and 111.3%, with relative standard deviations ranging between 0.57 and 1.85%.

Selective tools for the solid-phase extraction of Ochratoxin A from various complex samples: immunosorbents, oligosorbents, and molecularly imprinted polymers

The evolution of instrumentation in terms of separation and detection has allowed a real improvement of the sensitivity and the analysis time. However, the analysis of ultra-traces of toxins such as ochratoxin A (OTA) from complex samples (foodstuffs, biological fluids…) still requires a step of purification and of preconcentration before chromatographic determination. In this context, extraction sorbents leading to a molecular recognition mechanism appear as powerful tools for the selective extraction of OTA and of its structural analogs in order to obtain more reliable and sensitive quantitative analyses of these compounds in complex media. Indeed, immunosorbents and oligosorbents that are based on the use of immobilized antibodies and of aptamers, respectively, and that are specific to OTA allow its selective clean-up from complex samples with high enrichment factors. Similar molecular recognition mechanisms can also be obtained by developing molecularly imprinted polymers, the synthesis of which leads to the formation of cavities that are specific to OTA, thus mimicking the recognition site of the biomolecules. Therefore, the principle, the advantages, the limits of these different types of extraction tools, and their complementary behaviors will be presented. The introduction of these selective tools in miniaturized devices will also be discussed.

Development and characteristics of polymer monoliths for advanced LC bioscreening applications: A review

Biomedical research advances over the past two decades in bioseparation science and engineering have led to the development of new adsorbent systems called monoliths, mostly as stationary supports for liquid chromatography (LC) applications. They are acknowledged to offer better mass transfer hydrodynamics than their particulate counterparts. Also, their architectural and morphological traits can be tailored in situ to meet the hydrodynamic size of molecules which include proteins, pDNA, cells and viral targets. This has enabled their development for a plethora of enhanced bioscreening applications including biosensing, biomolecular purification, concentration and separation, achieved through the introduction of specific functional moieties or ligands (such as triethylamine, N,N-dimethyl-N-dodecylamine, antibodies, enzymes and aptamers) into the molecular architecture of monoliths. Notwithstanding, the application of monoliths presents major material and bioprocess challenges. The relationship between in-process polymerisation characteristics and the physicochemical properties of monolith is critical to optimise chromatographic performance. There is also a need to develop theoretical models for non-invasive analyses and predictions. This review article therefore discusses in-process analytical conditions, functionalisation chemistries and ligands relevant to establish the characteristics of monoliths in order to facilitate a wide range of enhanced bioscreening applications. It gives emphasis to the development of functional polymethacrylate monoliths for microfluidic and preparative scale bio-applications.

Man-Made Synthetic Receptors for Capture and Analysis of Ochratoxin A

Contemporary analytical methods have the sensitivity required for Ochratoxin A detection and quantification, but direct application of these methods on real samples can be rarely performed because of matrix complexity. Thus, efficient sample pre-treatment methods are needed. Recent years have seen the increasing use of artificial recognition systems as a viable alternative to natural receptors, because these materials seem to be particularly suitable for applications where selectivity for Ochratoxin A is essential. In this review, molecularly imprinted polymers, aptamers and tailor-made peptides for Ochratoxin A capture and analysis with particular attention to solid phase extraction applications will be discussed.

Deploying aptameric sensing technology for rapid pandemic monitoring

The genome of virulent strains may possess the ability to mutate by means of antigenic shift and/or antigenic drift as well as being resistant to antibiotics with time. The outbreak and spread of these virulent diseases including avian influenza (H1N1), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-Corona virus), cholera (Vibrio cholera), tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola Virus) and AIDS (HIV-1) necessitate urgent attention to develop diagnostic protocols and assays for rapid detection and screening. Rapid and accurate detection of first cases with certainty will contribute significantly in preventing disease transmission and escalation to pandemic levels. As a result, there is a need to develop technologies that can meet the heavy demand of an all-embedded, inexpensive, specific and fast biosensing for the detection and screening of pathogens in active or latent forms to offer quick diagnosis and early treatments in order to avoid disease aggravation and unnecessary late treatment costs. Nucleic acid aptamers are short, single-stranded RNA or DNA sequences that can selectively bind to specific cellular and biomolecular targets. Aptamers, as new-age bioaffinity probes, have the necessary biophysical characteristics for improved pathogen detection. This article seeks to review global pandemic situations in relation to advances in pathogen detection systems. It particularly discusses aptameric biosensing and establishes application opportunities for effective pandemic monitoring. Insights into the application of continuous polymeric supports as the synthetic base for aptamer coupling to provide the needed convective mass transport for rapid screening is also presented.

A review on immobilised aptamers for high throughput biomolecular detection and screening

The discovery of Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) assay has led to the generation of aptamers from libraries of nucleic acids. Concomitantly, aptamer-target recognition and its potential biomedical applications have become a major research endeavour. Aptamers possess unique properties that make them superior biological receptors to antibodies with a plethora of target molecules. Some specific areas of opportunities explored for aptamer-target interactions include biochemical analysis, cell signalling and targeting, biomolecular purification processes, pathogen detection and, clinical diagnosis and therapy. Most of these potential applications rely on the effective immobilisation of aptamers on support systems to probe target species. Hence, recent research focus is geared towards immobilising aptamers as oligosorbents for biodetection and bioscreening. This article seeks to review advances in immobilised aptameric binding with associated successful milestones and respective limitations. A proposal for high throughput bioscreening using continuous polymeric adsorbents is also presented.

Analysis of drugs in plasma samples from schizophrenic patients by column-switching liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with organic-inorganic hybrid cyanopropyl monolithic column

This study reports on the development of a rapid, selective, and sensitive column-switching liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to analyze sixteen drugs (antidepressants, anticonvulsants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics) in plasma samples from schizophrenic patients. The developed organic-inorganic hybrid monolithic column with cyanopropyl groups was used for the first dimension of the column-switching arrangement. This arrangement enabled online pre-concentration of the drugs (monolithic column) and their subsequent analytical separation on an XSelect SCH C18 column. The drugs were detected on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer (multiple reactions monitoring mode) with an electrospray ionization source in the positive ion mode. The developed method afforded adequate linearity for the sixteen target drugs; the coefficients of determination (R(2)) lay above 0.9932, the interassay precision had coefficients of variation lower than 6.5%, and the relative standard error values of the accuracy ranged from -14.0 to 11.8%. The lower limits of quantification in plasma samples ranged from 63 to 1250pgmL(-1). The developed method successfully analyzed the target drugs in plasma samples from schizophrenic patients for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM).